335i high pressure fuel pump

What is the problem with the HPFpump on the 335i? Mine went out at 7000 miles for no particular reason. The 08 335i coupe has been driven conservatively, with full break in as suggested. The car went to limp mode while at a steady 40 MPH. I have now read of many owners with this part problem. Has the replacement been upgraded or recalibrated or should I expect another failure in due course. The dealer replaced the part immediately, but now creeping doubt about this component is present. Any expert opinions out there?

I have heard stories of where the dealer replaced this part multiple times and the problem kept coming back (pump failures). And, I've also heard stories on the dealer replacing pumps that were working fine and then the pumps failing after replacement.

the original vendor that provided the fuel pumps was replaced sometime in 08. the earlier ones were definitely prone to failure and many have. some people ended up blowing more than one b/c junk in = junk out.

its pretty rare for fuel pump from the new vendor to blow but there are some cases. be happy that its a known problem so BMW should replace it for free regardless of whether you're under warranty or not.

I had 3 335i's between October of 07 and October of 08. All three of them had at least one hpfp replacement.

My understanding is that the seals weren't properly tested with North American gasoline fomulations and as a result the seals would fail prematurely. I'm not sure if it is tue or not but rumour had it that the failed pumps were then being sent back for remanufacture after the seals failed. They were then put into the system to be used as replacements as this was more cost effective and quicker than getting new fuel pumps. The remanufactured pumps were failing as well. I do thin they have ow changed suppliers completely.

I'm now on my *fourth* HPFP. The car is a 2007 335i sedan. I knew the first one would fail based on all the message board chatter, thought the second might hold up, fully expected the third *NOT* to fail, and now have absolutely no faith in the fourth. Basically every 6-8 months I'm in for a new fuel pump. More often than oil changes!

Now I'm trying to determine if this is a fluke, or if I have a Lemon. I was a bit surprised I've heard nothing about *35 engines in other platforms (135, 535), but apparently they have their issues too - injection/ignition parts backordered, etc.

My basic theory is that the 335 was never intended to be driven hard. Though I haven't tracked it (I've been afraid to with all the reports of overheating), I do like a run up to redline just like most "enthusiasts" - and it seems that it can only sustain a limited number of "hard" runs before the HPFP starts to prematurely wear.

First it starts to take several seconds to catch after an overnight sit in the garage, and a few weeks later you'll be nailing it on a nice on-ramp, and the engine will go into limp mode and reduce power on you. After you stop/start, engine will run fine until you drive it hard, then limp mode again. Its maddening.

I'm now trying to decide if I should stick with the 335, get an M3 (I like the sedan layout - I have a family!), or visit the P-car family for a trackable daily driver.

Is this a unique case? Is the 3 liter Turbo a bogus engine on all cars? Is the M3 any more reliable? (Its also a new engine design!)

I'm now on my *fourth* HPFP. The car is a 2007 335i sedan. I knew the first one would fail based on all the message board chatter, thought the second might hold up, fully expected the third *NOT* to fail, and now have absolutely no faith in the fourth. Basically every 6-8 months I'm in for a new fuel pump. More often than oil changes!

Now I'm trying to determine if this is a fluke, or if I have a Lemon. I was a bit surprised I've heard nothing about *35 engines in other platforms (135, 535), but apparently they have their issues too - injection/ignition parts backordered, etc.

My basic theory is that the 335 was never intended to be driven hard. Though I haven't tracked it (I've been afraid to with all the reports of overheating), I do like a run up to redline just like most "enthusiasts" - and it seems that it can only sustain a limited number of "hard" runs before the HPFP starts to prematurely wear.

First it starts to take several seconds to catch after an overnight sit in the garage, and a few weeks later you'll be nailing it on a nice on-ramp, and the engine will go into limp mode and reduce power on you. After you stop/start, engine will run fine until you drive it hard, then limp mode again. Its maddening.

I'm now trying to decide if I should stick with the 335, get an M3 (I like the sedan layout - I have a family!), or visit the P-car family for a trackable daily driver.

Is this a unique case? Is the 3 liter Turbo a bogus engine on all cars? Is the M3 any more reliable? (Its also a new engine design!)

Thanks,

Speedy99

Get the M3, you won't regret it and you'll never look back.

Don't expect to get the same gas mileage as the 335 though. Of course if the car's in the shop every six months it doesn't matter what mileage it gets.

The M3 is hands down the greatest BMW I've ever owned - and I've had 15 so I am somewhat qualified to comment. I can run it round the track all day and then pick the kids up from school. For me its the perfect car.

BTW the M3 engine is just an M5 engine with two cylinders lopped off. Thats how Dinan was able to get his stroker engine on the market so fast. Alot of the development work was already done using the V10 in the M5.

I've been jinxed before by saying a car is reliable. Lets just say that it has been night and day from my 335 experience.

Don't expect to get the same gas mileage as the 335 though. Of course if the car's in the shop every six months it doesn't matter what mileage it gets.

The M3 is hands down the greatest BMW I've ever owned - and I've had 15 so I am somewhat qualified to comment. I can run it round the track all day and then pick the kids up from school. For me its the perfect car.

BTW the M3 engine is just an M5 engine with two cylinders lopped off. Thats how Dinan was able to get his stroker engine on the market so fast. Alot of the development work was already done using the V10 in the M5.

I've been jinxed before by saying a car is reliable. Lets just say that it has been night and day from my 335 experience.

Thanks for the perspective.

I had a 98 E36 M3 Sedan (loved it), and also Mini Cooper S and 98 911 (loved both too, but no room for kids), and now the 335. Probably should have done the M3 from the beginning. Suffering from track withdrawal along with reliability concerns. I though the 335 would be more tolerant of me driving it hard, otherwise why give 300HP! Sounds like it may be time for my second M3. 15 must be some kind of record!

The reality is that the pump issue on the Twin Turbos is ongoing. However BMW is stepping up to reduce the concern over the as yet unresolved problem. Apparently they are on the third different pump type and still having failures. In light of the ongoing nature of the issue BMW has, per my Assistant Service Manager, put a 10 year/150,000 mile warranty on any cars with the pumps to replace the pumps as needed. I queried what the estimated failure rate is and our Senior Master Technician said about 2%.

Does it worry me since I sell at a BMW Center where a large portion of our sales include the Twin Turbo motors and I have just taken delivery of a 2009 335Ci? Not much. BMW is, as usual, taking care of their problems while looking for a permanent solution. And life goes on and I love driving my new 335Ci with very little worry about pump failures.

I am the owner of a 2007 E93 335i. My first HPFP went out at ~ 59K miles. And then I went through an additional three pumps in the next ~28K miles. As often as the original 2007's pumps failed, it appears that the replacements fail even quicker. I am at 95K miles now, and that 10 year/120K miles is looming on the horizon. If I keep this car for another 100K, it appears I better start honing up my pump replacement skills.

I've had my 2007 335i sedan since March 2007, and I haven't had any problems with the high pressure fuel pump. I don't drive the car particularly hard, and it's never been tracked.

My 335i has never seen track duty either, only occasional "spirited" street driving. I don't know about a 2% failure rate - every time I am in getting a new fuel pump, there are a few other 335s in for the same problem. The first few 335i years had an extremely high failure rate (much higher than 2%, but I've never seen any actual numbers disclosed.)

Yes, BMW is standing behind the car and the HPFP with a 10/150 warranty for the part, but I don't like the idea of driving a car with a flaky HPFP. Limp mode sucks (technically driveable, but barely). Fortunately its always failed close to home, not somewhere on a nice road trip in the middle of nowhere. I can't enjoy my BMW if I'm afraid to take it out of town! That's why I have less than 21K miles!

I didn't have as many failures as many of you, but HPFP failure in February of 2009 and again this November 2009. Replace the HPFP both times. Had another engine malfunction 1 week later after second pump failed, but it was a fuel injector leak.
Wife is fully done with this car and won't step foot in it any longer. I contacted BMW customer relations to see what the deal is, but waking up every morning to expect my car to fail is not right.
Love the performance of the car when it's driveable, but it's becoming a big hassle to call in to work when I have to take it in to service. I'll find out what BMW says tomorrow, but if they can't make it right then I don't know what other option to take.

Update - I ended up getting an M3 - got a great deal on a new one that the dealer wanted to unload to make space for 2010 models. I'm getting literally half the mileage of my 335i, but I now have a track-ready (and hopefully reliable) high performance car.

Update - I ended up getting an M3 - got a great deal on a new one that the dealer wanted to unload to make space for 2010 models. I'm getting literally half the mileage of my 335i, but I now have a track-ready (and hopefully reliable) high performance car.

Congrats, you'll come to realize over time the subtle (but great) differences with an M car. I thought it was hype until I got mine.

Even the drivve home from the airport last night at 2 am after a 14 hour flight was special.

I love mine. You'll never look back.

And yes the mileage is terrible. My daughter has devised other ways for me to carbon offset the difference between my car and a "normal" car. Kids are too darn smart these days.

Update-BMW stands behind their customers. After getting paper work done BMW offered to buy back the 335i. I turned in to the 3rd party impartial services who cut me my check. Since, BMW took care of us we picked up the 335d the same day as I cashed the check. All in all it took just under 1 month to complete with the Thanksgiving holiday in between.

Has anyone been successful in getting this recurrent problem treated as a "LEMON?"

I do not think a HPFP failure would quality the car as a lemon, even if the problem returns. I think there are certain limits as to how long your car has to be out of service or in the shop, or how many times the car visits the dealer, or something like that. Don't quote me on that though.

What's up with BMW?
How can they continue to sell these HPFP-failure prone cars without informing potential buyers of the unresolved nature of this problem?
Is there any interest in starting a class-action lawsuit to force the company to deal with this problem more effectively?
After the HPFP in my 2009 335ix failed at 10k miles, I began to read the forums and I found that the problem was neither "isolated" nor "fixable." In fact the service manager at the dealership (in an effort to calm my fears of future failures) informed me that "BMW is well aware of the problem and is doing everything it can to solve the problem." It had the opposite effect. I was not informed of this problem when I test drove the fleet before deciding which model was right for my needs.
I need a depenable car.
Is there anyone out there who is interested in pursuing this more systemically and formally?
I intend to do whatever I can to seek restitution. This "known" problem needs to be identified to all potential buyers... or these cars should be bought back.
Extending the warranty is not going to help me when I have to drive in to the emergency room to see sick patients in the wee hours of the morning.
AlanD